Stochastic Models in Reliability

Quantitative Methods in Supply Chain Management presents some of the most important methods and tools available for modeling and solving problems arising in the context of supply chain management. In the context of this book, “solving problems” usually means designing efficient algorithms for obtaining high-quality solutions.
The first chapter is an extensive optimization review covering continuous unconstrained and constrained linear and nonlinear optimization algorithms, as well as dynamic programming and discrete optimization exact methods and heuristics. The second chapter presents time-series forecasting methods together with prediction market techniques for demand forecasting of new products and services. The third chapter details models and algorithms for planning and scheduling with an emphasis on production planning and personnel scheduling.

A unique introduction to the innovative methodology of statistical flowgraphs. This book offers a practical, application-based approach to flowgraph models for time-to-event data. It clearly shows how this innovative new methodology can be used to analyze data from semi-Markov processes without prior knowledge of stochastic processes opening the door to interesting applications in survival analysis and reliability as well as stochastic processes. Unlike other books on multistate time-to-event data, this work emphasizes reliability and not just biostatistics, illustrating each method with medical and engineering examples. It demonstrates how flowgraphs bring together applied probability techniques and combine them with data analysis and statistical methods to answer questions of practical interest. Bayesian methods of data analysis are emphasized.